Saints owner says lawsuit without merit

New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson on Tuesday painted a civil lawsuit brought against the franchise as meritless, saying it was filed by a disgruntled former employee.

Federal authorities are investigating allegations made by former Saints security director

Geoffrey Santini that the club tried to cover up a senior staff member’s theft of prescription Vicodin pills from the team’s training headquarters.

“I can’t tell you exactly how I feel about that, but it’s a typical type of somebody that isn’t happy and they file suit on you,” Benson said before serving as keynote speaker at The Salvation Army’s annual banquet. “I better not say anymore or I’ll get myself in trouble.”

The Associated Press has reported people familiar with the lawsuit have said Saints coach Sean Payton was the unidentified person in the complaint who allegedly was permitted to take a large enough amount of Vicodin from the team’s drug locker to constitute abuse, an allegation Payton has denied.

The complaint also alleges that another “senior staff member” stole Vicodin from the drug locker. Anonymous sources have identified that staff member as linebackers coach Joe Vitt, the Associated Press reported.

Santini is a 31-year FBI veteran. His lawsuit contends that Saints general manager Mickey Loomis asked him to find out who was stealing Vicodin but then tried to cover up the matter after Santini brought back the investigation’s results.

Santini resigned last August 16 because of the Saints’ handling of the affair.

Speaking publicly about the lawsuit for the first time, Benson scoffed at the allegations.

“I will say it’s sort of the fact (Santini) resigned and then we won the Super Bowl,” Benson said. “I’d be unhappy too if I had resigned, and (team president) Rita (Benson LeBlanc) had won the Super Bowl.”

Before addressing the lawsuit, Benson said he liked the Saints’ chances of repeating.

“We think we are going to have as good or as better a football team,” he said.